Flexible conductive transparent films, articles and methods of making same

Abstract

The invention generally relates to articles and methods of making thereof. More specifically, articles comprising a substrate and a film deposited on the substrate, wherein the article is bendable to a bending diameter of about 3.8 mm or less without substantial structural failure of the film. Further, methods of making these articles are further disclosed. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An article comprising:
 a substrate;   a film deposited on the substrate, wherein the article is bendable in at least one direction to a bending diameter of about 3.8 mm or less and wherein no substantial structural failure of the film is observed.   
     
     
         2 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a polymeric substrate. 
     
     
         3 . The article of  claim 2 , wherein the polymeric substrate comprises a polyester, a copolyester, a cellulose ester, a polyolefin, a polyamide, a polyimide, a polystyrene, a polystyrene copolymer, a styrene acrylonitrile copolymer, an acrylontirile butadiene styrene copolymer, a nylon, a poly(methylmethacrylate), an acrylic copolymer, polyphenylene oxide, a poly(phenylene oxide)/polystyrene blend, polyphenylene sulfides, polyetherimide, a polyethersulfone, polyphenylene sulfide/sulfones, polysulfones, a polyetherketone, a polyethylene naphthalene, polycarbonate, poly(ester-carbonates), a cyclic olefin polymer, or any combination thereof 
     
     
         4 . The article of  claim 3 , wherein the polymeric substrate comprises polyethylene-2,6-naphthalate (PEN), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyimide polymer (PI), polycarbonate, cellulose triacetate (TAC), polypropylene, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         5 . The article of  claim 2 , wherein the polymeric substrate comprises a plurality of spatially patterned periodic surface microstructures. 
     
     
         6 . The article of  claim 5 , wherein the plurality of spatially patterned periodic surface microstructures forms a grating-like structure. 
     
     
         7 . The article of  claim 5 , wherein the plurality of spatially patterned periodic surface microstructures comprises dot shaped microstructures. 
     
     
         8 . The article of  claim 7 , wherein the dot shaped microstructures comprise a circular, square, or hexagonal array of microstructures. 
     
     
         9 . The article of  claim 5 , wherein the plurality of spatially patterned periodic surface microstructures have an amplitude from about 0.05 times of a thickness of the film to about 10 times of a thickness of the film. 
     
     
         10 . The article of  claim 5 , wherein the plurality of spatially patterned periodic surface microstructures have a period A from about 100 nm to about 700 nm. 
     
     
         11 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of spatially patterned periodic surface microstructures have an amplitude from about 0.5 to about 3 times of a period A value. 
     
     
         12 . The article of  claim 5 , wherein a ratio between a thickness of the film and a period A is from about 5:1 to about 1:5. 
     
     
         13 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the film comprises a conductive transparent oxide. 
     
     
         14 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the article has resistivity equal to or less than about 1×10 4  Ohm×cm. 
     
     
         15 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the article has a sheet resistance from about 0.01 to about 10,000 Ohm/Sq 2 . 
     
     
         16 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the article has R final /R initial  is less than about 1.1, wherein R initial  is resistivity of the article prior to the bending and R final  is the resistivity of the bended article. 
     
     
         17 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the article is bendable in at least two directions. 
     
     
         18 . An article comprising:
 a substrate comprising a plurality of spatially patterned periodic surface microstructures; and   a transparent conductive film deposited on the substrate,   wherein the film has at least one point of contact with at least one of the plurality of spatially patterned periodic surface microstructures.   
     
     
         19 . The article of  claim 18 , wherein the article is bendable in at least one direction to a bending diameter of about 3.8 mm or less and wherein no substantial structural failure of the article is observed. 
     
     
         20 . The article of  claim 18 , wherein the substrate is a polymeric substrate. 
     
     
         21 . The article of  claim 18 , wherein the transparent conductive film comprises a transparent conductive oxide film. 
     
     
         22 . A method of making an article comprising:
 depositing a film on a patterned substrate;   wherein the article is bendable in at least one direction to a bending diameter of about 3.8 mm or less and wherein no substantial structural failure of the film is observed.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the substrate is a polymeric substrate. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the patterned polymeric substrate comprises a plurality of spatially patterned periodic surface microstructures. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the film comprises conductive transparent oxide films. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the patterned substrate is formed by exposing the substrate to plasma. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the patterned substrate is formed by molding. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the patterned polymeric substrate is formed by a chemical etching. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the patterned substrate is formed by nano-imprinting or a direct embossing. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the depositing step comprises solution deposition, vacuum evaporation deposition, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the article is bendable in at least two directions. 
     
     
         32 . A method comprising:
 depositing a transparent conductive film on a patterned substrate;   wherein the patterned substrate comprises a plurality of spatially patterned periodic surface microstructures; and wherein the film has at least one point of contact with at least one of a plurality of spatially patterned periodic surface microstructures.   
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the article is bendable in at least one direction to a bending diameter of about 3.8 mm or less and wherein no substantial structural failure of the article is observed. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the article is bendable in at least two directions. 
     
     
         35 . An article comprising:
 a polymeric substrate comprising a plurality of spatially patterned periodic surface microstructures, wherein the plurality of spatially patterned periodic surface microstructures forms a grating-like structure;   an indium tin oxide film deposited on the polymeric substrate,   wherein the film has at least one point of contact with at least one of a plurality of spatially patterned periodic surface microstructures, wherein the patterned periodic surface microstructures have a period A from about 100 nm to about 700 nm and amplitude from about to 0.05 times of a thickness of the film to about 10 times of a thickness of the film, and wherein the article is bendable in at least one direction to a bending diameter of about 3.8 mm or less and wherein no substantial structural failure of the article is observed.   
     
     
         36 . A method comprising:
 forming a patterned polymeric substrate comprising a plurality of spatially patterned periodic surface microstructures; and   depositing an indium tin oxide film on the substrate; wherein the plurality of spatially patterned periodic surface microstructures forms a grating-like structure having a period A from about 10 nm to about 700 nm and amplitude from about to 0.05 times of a thickness of the film to about 10 times of a thickness of the film;   wherein the film has at least one point of contact with at least one of a plurality of spatially patterned periodic microstructures; and wherein the article is bendable in at least one direction to a bending diameter of about 3.8 mm or less and wherein no substantial structural failure of the article is observed.   
     
     
         37 . An article comprising:
 a polymeric substrate comprising a plurality of spatially patterned periodic surface microstructures, wherein the plurality of spatially patterned periodic surface microstructures forms a dot shaped microstructures comprising a circular, a square, a hexagonal array microstructures, or a combination thereof;   an indium tin oxide film deposited on the polymeric substrate,   wherein the film has at least one point of contact with at least one of a plurality of spatially patterned periodic surface microstructures, wherein the patterned periodic surface microstructures have a period A from about 100 nm to about 700 nm and amplitude from about to 0.05 times of a thickness of the film to about 10 times of a thickness of the film, and wherein the article is bendable in at least one direction to a bending diameter of about 3.8 mm or less and wherein no substantial structural failure of the article is observed.   
     
     
         38 . A method comprising:
 forming a patterned polymeric substrate comprising a plurality of spatially patterned periodic surface microstructures; and   depositing an indium tin oxide film on the substrate; wherein the plurality of spatially patterned periodic surface microstructures forms a dot shaped microstructures comprising a circular, a square, a hexagonal array microstructures, or a combination thereof, and wherein the plurality of spatially patterned periodic surface microstructures has a period A from about 10 nm to about 700 nm and amplitude from about to 0.05 times of a thickness of the film to about 10 times of a thickness of the film;   wherein the film has at least one point of contact with at least one of a plurality of spatially patterned periodic microstructures; and wherein the article is bendable in at least one direction to a bending diameter of about 3.8 mm or less and wherein no substantial structural failure of the article is observed.